<p>Well, I was admitted as anthro! I’d been looking into USP for a while, and I’ve decided it’s definitely more along the lines of what I want to do. :)</p>
<p>@Joliefillie- what college are you in?</p>
<p>I was also thinking about the USP major. However, at UCSD it is still a new program and not accredited by PAB. It is a good major if you are trying to get into a graduate school in Urban Planning. But, I’m not sure how good the prospects of landing a job in that field are with just a bachelors from an unaccredited institution. Just a heads up.</p>
<p>Interesting, Can you elaborate more?</p>
<p>Well I did a ton of research. I even ordered some online magazine called Planetizen which has rankings for Urban Planning programs. </p>
<p>Couple things I picked up:
- Urban Planners don’t make much–Even with a Master’s from a solid school
- Job Market is largely government positions (which goes with point #1)
- Private industry has a preference for Engineers and Architects who fill jobs planners would normally do.
- Their are only a few bachelor’s programs accredited by PAB (Planning Accreditation Board) Apparently the Cal-Poly’s are two of the best in the country that are accredited, especially SLO.</p>
<p>Personally, I was looking at double majoring with economics. This just opens doors to not only physical planning of cities, but also working on the economic planning side. Trying to bring in business and money into a city. I just think by itself, the major is pretty limiting.</p>
<p>I see what you’re saying. I looked up the accredited schools. UCSD wasn’t there, which is still surprising to me. </p>
<p>I’m not sure what you consider “relatively new,” but I think USP at UCSD has been around for a little while, considering how young the school itself is.</p>
<p>“The Urban Studies and Planning (USP) Program, founded in the 1970s, is one of UCSD’s leading interdisciplinary undergraduate programs. It currently has 33 regular and affiliated faculty members representing a variety of backgrounds, approaches, and disciplines. The USP Program is widely acknowledged to be one of the best in the nation, based upon the caliber of its faculty and graduates as well as its comprehensive set of courses and rigorous requirements. An external Steering Committee, comprised of community leaders and alumni, provides guidance on program development.”</p>
<p>That’s from the UCSD website. Of course, they’re going to toot their own horn a bit, but that sounds alright to me. </p>
<p>Also, the area of concentration I am interested in is “Health, Social Services, and Education.”</p>
<p>@UChopeful2010</p>
<p>Aside of the accrediting statement, I reject most of your premises. My brother went to CSUN for Sociology, then UCLA for his Master’s in Urban Planning. I know 6 or 7 of his colleagues, which make just as much money as he does, but they’re in different sectors. My brother works for a non-profit org. in housing. I’m not gonna put up his income on here, but all I can say is that he makes more than his wife…and she’s a doctor. Also, it’s only his second job, and he’s been the field for only about 4 or 5 years.</p>
<p>Regardless, most decent jobs in this field require you have a master’s anyway, so, doing your undergrad in urban planning at UCSD AND getting a master’s in it at one of the accredited colleges would be the ideal route to go.</p>
<p>Maybe your brother hit the jackpot with his job then. I was frequenting the planning forums and it seemed to me that even with a Masters most graduate’s first offers were under $45,000 and in some cases less than $35,000 (range seemed to be $30K-45K). These were graduates of top Master’s programs (University of Illinois, U Mich, etc.) The field is expected to grow. However, most entry-level jobs require a Master’s. Also, the middle 50% of all Urban Planners make only $47K-75K. Pretty underwhelming considering the level of education the job requires.</p>
<p>I just think undergrad in Urban Planning is pretty useless. You can get accepted into all the top Master’s programs with a variety of different undergrad degrees that do not pigeon hole you into one career. Degrees in Economics, Engineering, Sociology, and Math will get you into top MUP or MCP programs and still provide you more options should you decide not to go on to graduate school.</p>
<p>[Urban</a> and Regional Planners](<a href=“http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos057.htm]Urban”>http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos057.htm) </p>
<p>*</p>
<p>yay for anecdotal evidence</p>
<p>Fine disregard what I have seen posted in other forums. I still think $47K-75K (which is verifiable data collected by the government) is a pretty low median pay for a career that requires a Masters for an entry level position. Also, if the middle 50% is in that range, I think the $30K-45K starting pay range I suggested earlier would seem to be reasonable.</p>
<p>Well, if I went to UCLA, I would only major in philosophy; so, going to UCSD and doing a double major with urban planning can’t hurt.</p>